Thanks to the Aga Khan, head of the Ismaili Muslim community, the humble curry will now have a new image.

With studies showing that dishes swimming in ghee contribute to a 50 per cent chance of dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease in the South Asian community, the spiritual leader has launched a project to change their eating habits.

An online nutrition centre, launched in the UK last week by the Aga Khan Health Board for the UK in conjunction with the Department of Health, will feature a library of authentic recipes and is ai-med at families who enjoy Af- rican, central and south Asi-an and Middle Eastern food.

With the help of a traffic-light system of red, amber and green, website users can call up familiar recipes to check their fat content.

“For example, a lamb biryani can have very high levels, but lentil-based dishes, like a dal, can be healthy,” dietician and TV presenter Azmina Govindji said.

The site will suggest which ingredients can be replaced by healthier alternatives wit-hout losing the overall taste.